Emski

You can buy spindle attachments. I haven't got one so can't say how well they work though, I'm afraid. www.safetots.co.uk is quite useful. We found one with a catflap!

Thank you both - really helpful. And looking forward to hols too now! x

We're hoping to take our 1 yr old swimming on holiday this summer. I have armbands and a baby ring to put her in, but was wondering about swim nappies, and whether to opt for swimming cossie or wetsuit thing. I'm a bit worried she won't like the cold(ish) water (just a normal pool, not a baby one). Any tips? Or recommendations for swim nappies? Thank you!

Hand/stick blender worked fine for me too. Helps if you overcook the veg, and leave a bit of the cooking water in while you're blending. At the very beginning I also then pushed the puree through a sieve to ensure it was completely lump-free, but that was only with the first few batches before baby Emski became more used to 'solids'. I also started on very liquidy baby rice - this gets thicker the longer it's left, so I remember being surprised at how runny it had to be in order for baby to take it. Thought 'solids' was a bit of a misnomer!

I would also be interested in any feedback. Have been to see a few in the area and this was our favourite, but you can't beat first-hand experience. Did you end up sending your child there, Llama999? Or get any response? Would hugely appreciate any views - good or bad! Thank you

Hope that you're feeling better, Fuschia. Something very similar happened with my pregnancy a year and a half ago when I thought I was booked in with DMC and they neglected to tell me they were full! Hence I waited 18 weeks before seeing a midwife... (scans were organised directly with Kings somehow). I also had early bleeding on and off for several weeks, so was pretty stressed. We went directly to the EPU at Kings, and the doc who scanned me (twice) was lovely. I wish you all the best with the pregnancy, and am happy to tell you I'm now the mum of a gorgeous 1-yr-old. But bleeding is of course worrying and DMC/Lanes have acted pretty negligently in my view. I also complained formally, writing to head of midwifery, head of community midwives and DMC practice manager. Got a concerned-sounding response from the first, putting the lack of communication down to teething probs with the new system at DMC - but don't think that can still be the case 18 months on! If you haven't already done so, may be worth getting your name down on the waiting lists of other midwifery practices? I was keen on having a home birth and was lucky to get in with the Brierly with a few months to go. They were absolutely fantastic, and I'm still in touch with the lovely midwife I saw. Well done for complaining - you've clearly been receiving substandard care. I hope the Lanes can somehow get their act together and, of course, that you can put this bad start behind you and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy. Good luck! x

1. Milton tablets for sterilising bottles etc. Much better than the microwave bags. 2. A sunhat that ties on!

They can't have been very undercover police officers! But thanks for the warning.

"Why would roadworks affect SKY it's delivered by satellite?" Yes, initially I thought there were cables involved (getting confused with the Broadband element!), but techie on phone said heavy machinery can affect signal. Now that the diggers have stopped for the night it seems fine at any rate. Could also have been rogue trees... Thanks for input. Home & Away particularly exciting at the moment;-)

Before I fork out for an engineer to come round, is anyone else's Sky on the blink? Am just wondering if it's the roadworks outside - we're up by Dulwich Library. PS Suggest avoiding the Plough area on your way home - it's likely to be jammed.

I claimed MA last year - ?123/week for 40wks. Also had income via property rental which didn't seem to be a problem. Think you can download form via www.direct.gov - or there's a phone number on there for them to talk you through any questions. Seem to remember the lady I spoke to was actually quite helpful...

Carrieon - pls let us know what doc says. My 12-month-old also diagnosed with viral rash, but have since found out she's been in contact with German Measles. Hasn't had any MMR yet. I have pregnant friends to warn if it is GM, but since she seems on the mend (no longer has a temp, rash reducing, but still bit grumpy and tired), I'm not sure if there's any need to get it diagnosed. What does anyone think? Thanks

And - apologies for interrupting - if anyone knows one which would work with a curved banister post on one side, that would be great. Thanks!

Thanks SB - glad there's been a dramatic improvement for you. Baby Emski seems tired - yawns, rubs eyes, gets ratty - after the 2hr and 3hr active periods. I shall try leaving her longer, but was worried about her getting over-tired, and therefore even more tricky to get down! Gah indeed... She does eventually go to sleep if I leave her, but we never used to have to go through this...

Can anyone offer me any advice, or tell me how long these highly frustrating habits might last? Baby Emski is 10 months and causing me much trauma by: 1) Generally refusing to sleep more than half hour at nap time. 2) Being increasingly difficult to put down at nap time, crawling around cot and pulling herself up on the sides. 3) Bashing the spoon out of my hand at mealtimes. 4) Eating bits of dust or any tiny thing she finds on the floor. She sleeps really well at night, and isn't a fussy eater. I give her finger foods as well, and am just not sure whether, when the bashing starts, she's eaten enough or wants something different, or what? The naps will occasionally last an hour, but not often enough. I read Snowboarder's thread a while ago, and am following the 2hrs, then 3hrs between naps pattern, which generally seems to be when she starts getting tired. I know she can sleep longer, but she hardly ever does! And she won't go back to sleep once she wakes as she's sitting up in her cot, playing, by the time I get there. Grr! Thanks in advance for any suggestions, or promises that these are short-lived phases!

We've just started using a Little Life rucksack-style carrier with our 10-month-old. She seems to really enjoy it; also liked being in a papoose. I haven't worn it, but hubbie says it's incredibly comfy and much lighter than it looks. Not sure how expensive though - we were given it. You don't say how old your baby is? Needs to be good at sitting up. Would highly recommend this though!

My teacher husband's schoolbag was stolen from our car (parked near the library on Woodwarde/Eynella Rd junction) last night. There was nothing valuable in it, so it's probably been dumped somewhere nearby. Some contents have been returned (thank you the kind people who found them in their front garden this morning!), but if you happen to find any schoolteachery items where they shouldn't be, we'd very much appreciate a PM. Thanks

I'm afraid I agree with the theory that prettying up the pavements on certain roads is a waste of time and money. But my main query is why no pedestrian crossing was put by the entrance to Dulwich Park on Court Lane (bottom of Eynella Road) when it was done up a couple of months ago? With the huge number of children crossing here I'd have thought it was pretty much a requirement. Those extra cobbled ramps certainly don't do the job. Incidentally, I don't think Mr Barber deserves some of the aggression he receives on this forum. Give the guy a break.

Also a vote of full confidence for the Brierly. My midwife was lovely, and am still in touch with her 8 months on. She wasn't on call when I went into labour, but I'd already met the midwife who did attend a few times, and was equally happy with her. It was a really busy night so they weren't able to have a second midwife attending, but as it happened I ended up having to transfer to Kings anyway due to failure to progress. Having been up with me since the previous evening, my Brierly midwife waited til I'd been assessed, was happy with the plan of attack (!) and had had the epidural before handing me over to the Kings midwife. I think she knew the hospital midwife and knew I'd be OK with her, which I was. I guess some women might prefer more continuity of care, but since I'd been having contractions for 3 days it probably wasn't reasonable to have the same midwife with me the whole time! I'd really wanted a home birth mainly due to fears of the hospital being horrible and feeling I wasn't in control of the experience, but it was all much better than I'd expected. Do get on the waiting list asap though - you can change your mind about where you want to have the baby pretty much up to the moment you're ready to push...

I complained about one of the docs at DMC and got a call back a couple of weeks later. It was over Xmas, so wasn't too put out by the delay. I'm not sure whether they would be the right organisation to complain to about Seldoc tho. Pretty bl**dy serious complaint, however!

I would firmly advocate that positive thinking and training yourself not to be scared of birth/contractions does help. I did a short course on hypnobirthing with a lovely local practitioner, Natalie at yoursmaternally.co.uk, and coped well with several days of contractions. Sounds a horror story, but they genuinely didn't hurt while I was in the right mindset. Unfortunately I had my heart set on a home birth, so when I had to go into hosp due to failure to progress, I lost my focus completely, and then it bl**dy hurt!! I tried reading the Marie Mongan book but was far too airy fairy for my taste, and made a lot of claims I simply couldn't believe. I found the term 'hypnobirthing' very misleading, as in my case (and as several above say) it had nothing to do with what I would think of as hypnosis. Would highly recommend Natalie. Maybe you could give her a bell to see if she thinks you have enough time to fit in sufficient sessions? Good luck!

Hope it went / is going as well as possible! Congratulations on gettin' wed, and hopefully on your beautiful baby girl by now too. Emma and Dan

I tried RLT, sex, curry, pineapple, long walks etc etc. At 9 days overdue I booked acupuncture at the place above Health Matters with Daniel. Contractions started that evening! Perhaps coincidence but has some backing from studies. I'd certainly recommend it if you're desperate. He offered a freebie session the following day if nothing happened - wasn't needed though! Good luck

Sounds like you've pretty much decided on a time, but just in case I can change anyone's mind, I'd like to vote for an afternoon session (don't mind which day, but pref not Thurs if poss). It seems like all the playgroup, sing sessions and so on are in the morning and there's not much to do in the afternoons (apart from 1 o'clock club). If I'm wrong, please let me know!

NHS Direct (being helpful for once) suggested taking our 6-month-old into a steamy shower room to help loosen mucous. Cough mixture not advised by them, or by my GP bro-in-law. I'm not sure there's a huge amount you can do, unfortunately. Baby Emski's lasted a couple of weeks - doesn't sound like the same thing though.